6 Unexpected Ways UX/UI Can Take Your Career to the Next Level

Feeling less than excited about your career track these days? It might be time to move on — and up. We teamed up with Flatiron School to explore ways in which studying UX/UI design can take any career, no matter your industry, up a notch.

Flatiron School’s online UX/UI design programs provide students with comprehensive user experience and user interface design know-how, all in just 24 weeks, taking you from “I’m creative, sometimes” to “I design and build websites and mobile apps.” Sign us up!

The course is available across the U.S. at their campuses (most conveniently located in WeWork locations) and online, with flex full- and part-time pacing options.

Plus, Flatiron School’s Career Coaches work one-on-one with each student to help you find a job you love. Not sure what UX/UI design could do for your career? Here are six ways that might surprise you.

1. Stand out in a sea of resumes. UX designers were the second most in-demand role for2019 (with UI coming in third) in Onward Search’s 2019 Salary Guide. More and more companies are realizing that UX/UI design is critical to success when it comes to website performance (and company goals) and are willing to invest in a good design — and the people who build it.

So you want to stand out among competing dream-job seekers? A UX/UI design checkmark on your resume will signal to hiring managers that you can help reduce development time, catch potentially bank-breaking usability issues, and design apps that can have a sweet impact on revenue.

2. Do what you love. There are many facets of UX/UI design that apply to almost any job. There’s design, naturally, but you’ll also pick up research techniques, best practices for usability testing, and market analysis skills.

Plus, there’s a real social aspect (which we love) to working as a designer on a tech team: collaborating with developers, interacting with end-users, and figuring out customer needs. These are all skills you can use in marketing, product development, customer research, and the list goes on.

3. Rock an interview. Any designer can walk into a job interview with a stunning portfolio. But yours? Your apps will be gorgeous, of course, but also naturally intuitive and high-performing. Dazzle them with some extras too: online surveys, usability tests, discussion guides for customer interviews...basically show them how you’ll be able to tailor their product to their specific customers’ needs. They love that.

4. Shape how people live (for the better). UX/UI design is all about problem-solving. You’ll make decisions that directly improve real products and services for the people who use them, keeping in mind that not all people are the same or have the same abilities. Rewarding, right? Your experience interacting with users and analyzing their needs and wants will no doubt make you a powerhouse in anticipating customer expectations.

5. Be your own boss. There isn’t an app for that? Build one! With UX/UI design under your designer belt, you’ll have all the goods to create an app from scratch: an innovative design blueprint, techniques for collecting and evaluating user data, and tools for creating intuitive and easy-to-understand interfaces that your customers will love — and will tell their friends they love.

6. Give your career some legs. You can take these skills with you as your career evolves. Companies will always need experienced designers to create the best-functioning, highest-performing, user-friendly, and decidedly awesome apps. Knowing customer research and market analysis better than most will also give you an edge when the next big tech idea hits, which — who knows — could be yours.

Inspired to take your career/life to the next level? Whether you’re a creative who wants to build their tech skills, a marketer interested in design or an entrepreneur starting your own business, Flatiron School’s UX/UI design program is a smart start. Take it from anywhere in the world (your living room?) or in person at one of their WeWork campuses and pick up in-demand skills for almost any job you want. Even better, you’ll get matched with a Career Coach who will help you ace your job hunt. Now get it, girl.